1. Field of the Invention
The invention generally relates to a hairpiece, and in particular relates to a hairpiece having a barrette having a plurality of elongated hair strands extending therefrom, for selective attachment to the existing hair of a user.
2. Description of the Related Art
Wigs and hairpieces are worn by millions of women worldwide in order to improve their appearance. Wigs are generally intended to be worn on top of a wearer's existing hair, and accordingly, cover a large part of the wearer's head. In contrast, hairpieces are generally designed to be secured to the wearer's own hair, and enable an individual with short or thinning hair to enjoy the look of long and luxurious hair without the need for covering a large part of the wearer's head with a wig. However, most available hairpieces suffer from several notable disadvantages. In particular, existing hairpieces are often constructed from synthetic fibers that are not natural looking. Moreover, many existing hairpieces are difficult to secure to the existing hair of an individual, especially for those individuals suffering from a condition such as alopecia which causes thinning hair. What's more, many hairpieces are not readily fashioned by a wearer into a variety of different and attractive hairstyles. Accordingly, there is a need for a hairpiece which looks natural because it is wholly fashioned from human hair, which is easily attachable to the existing hair of an individual with thinning hair by a “clip-on” barrette, and which has a plurality of hairs that may be easily fashioned by the wearer into a variety of different and attractive hairstyles.
A variety of artificial hairpieces have been devised for enhancing the appearance of a wearer. By way of example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,899,211 to Brown appears to show an artificial hairpiece having an independent extension of synthetic human hair secured at one end to a stretchable, twistable, and foldable elastic loop or band.
Additionally, a variety of barrettes and hair clips have been devised for sequestering portions of the existing hair of a user. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,862,814 to Janik appears to show a barrette having a plurality of attachment members for enabling a wearer to create a barrette that matches the wearer's outfit or color scheme. Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. D461,599 to Albrecht et al appears to show an ornamental design for a decorative hair barrette. Furthermore, U.S. Pat. No. 6,311,699 to Horman appears to show a ponytail holder comprising a hinged pair of first and second arms with first and second opposed elastic slings, wherein when the ponytail holder is closed on a bunch of hair, the opposed elastic slings extend to accommodate the thickness of the bunch of hair.
While these devices may be suitable for the particular purpose employed, or for general use, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention as disclosed hereafter.